Wind Energy Development Managers
Lead or manage the development and evaluation of potential wind energy business opportunities, including environmental studies, permitting, and proposals. May also manage construction of projects.
Also called: Business Development Director, Business Development Manager, Development Director, Development Manager, Energy Director, Energy Project Director
Median pay
$141,900
Pay for the broader BLS group “Managers, All Other”
Pay range (10th–90th)
$74,300 – $238,270
People employed
622,190
Whole BLS group
Holland code
ECI
Enterprising · Conventional · Investigative
Updated October 2026 · Data: O*NET 31.0 and BLS OEWS May 2025 · How we match careers
Is this career right for you?
These are the things that stand out in this job compared with other U.S. jobs (O*NET 31.0 work context). Answer honestly.
- 1.Do you want variety, with new tasks often?
- 2.Are you OK with hours that change?
- 3.Are you comfortable sitting at a desk most of the day?
- 4.Do you prefer a steady pace without constant deadlines?
- 5.Do you want a lot of freedom to make your own decisions?
- 6.Are you happy working mostly on your own, with little contact with others?
The hard parts
- Tight deadlines are common
Wind Energy Development Managers pay by state
Highest-paying states
Annual median pay by state (50 states and DC with published data). Source: BLS OEWS May 2025, for the broader group “Managers, All Other”.
What wind energy development managers do
- 01Coordinate or direct development, energy assessment, engineering, or construction activities to ensure that wind project needs and objectives are met.
- 02Manage wind project costs to stay within budget limits.
- 03Lead or support negotiations involving tax agreements or abatements, power purchase agreements, land use, or interconnection agreements.
- 04Create wind energy project plans, including project scope, goals, tasks, resources, schedules, costs, contingencies, or other project information.
- 05Supervise the work of subcontractors or consultants to ensure quality and conformance to specifications or budgets.
- 06Develop scope of work for wind project functions, such as design, site assessment, environmental studies, surveying, or field support services.
Skills that matter most
- Critical Thinking
- Reading Comprehension
- Writing
- Speaking
- Active Listening
- Monitoring
Knowledge
- Administration and Management
- English Language
- Building and Construction
- Engineering and Technology
- Economics and Accounting
Education and first steps
Share of workers by required education, as reported to O*NET.
How people get started
- Usually needs a bachelor's degree (O*NET Job Zone 4).
- Related work experience: over 4 years, up to and including 6 years.
- On-the-job training: over 1 month, up to and including 3 months.
Most common answers from O*NET 31.0 Education, Training and Experience.
Interest fit (Holland code)
O*NET occupational interest scores, scale 1–7. Take the Free Career Test to compare with your own.
Career changes
Change from wind energy development managers
- Sustainability Specialists84% · group pay
- Project Management Specialists81% · —
- General and Operations Managers79% · —
- Information Technology Project Managers79% · group pay
- Purchasing Managers79% · —
Change into wind energy development managers
Jobs whose skills carry over best (skill match, their median pay).
- Sustainability Specialists87% · $83,050
- Chief Sustainability Officers84% · $213,990
- Cost Estimators79% · $78,740
- General and Operations Managers79% · $105,770
- Information Technology Project Managers79% · $116,580
Majors that lead here
- Environmental/Natural Resource Economics
- Digital Communication and Media/Multimedia
- Information Technology Project Management
- Library and Information Science
- Archives/Archival Administration
- Systems Science and Theory
- Cultural Resource Management and Policy Analysis
- Economics and Computer Science
- Economics and Foreign Language/Literature
- Geoarcheaology
- History and Language/Literature
- History and Political Science
From the NCES CIP 2020 to SOC 2018 crosswalk.